Stuffed Zucchini (Courgettes Farci)

Another of my friend Sandra’s Recipes. I helped her make this one the same weekend she made the Artichokes à la Barigoule in her stone house in Chartres. We picked the tarragon, parsley and zucchini in her garden and purchased the ricotta and feta at the farmers market.

You can improvise with the herbs although I suggest always using parsley and chives. Sandra used thyme, when she first made this for me and I do that version but often substitute tarragon or chervil when I can find it.

INGREDIENTS

3 large zucchini (about 2.5 pounds)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon or thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
10 oz ricotta
3 oz feta cheese
3oz grayed gruyère cheese
1 egg
Freshly ground pepper
Salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 Fahrenheit
Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Blanche in boiling, salted water and cool down in ice water.

With a sharp,spoon or a paring knife, scoop out the steady part of the zucchini to make a little trough to put the cheese.

Take the ricotta cheese and dry it out by spreading it over paper towels, cover with more towels and pressing on the towels to blot up the water.
Crumble the feta cheese in the bowl. Add the herbs, eggs and ricotta and mix to combine. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer with the beater attachement. After everything is mixed, put in a few grinding s of pepper and taste for salt. The feta is pretty salty so you may not need anything but I taste it to see if it needs salt. If your not comfortable doing so, encaisse of the raw egg, a 1/4 tsp probably won’t be too much.
Place the zucchini in a lightly greased baking dish.
I find that placing the cheese in a pastry bag is the easiest and fastest way to fill the zucchini. You don’t need a tip. Just snip the end of the bag.
Blot the zucchini dry with paper towels and fill them with the cheese. You can mound it up a bit, it will stay in place.

Fill the zucchini with cheese. Grate the gruyère over the zucchini and place on your highest rack in the oven. bake about 30 minutes until,the zucchini is al dente. If cheese hasn’t browned, run it under the broiler.